LHS senior a finalist for $20K scholarship

Whether it was just a case of being extremely humble or overly critical of himself, Eric Hansen did not have much faith in the essays he wrote for a recent scholarship entry.

As it turns out, it may have been a little of both.

Despite his lack confidence, Hansen, a senior at Lansing High School, was picked as a national finalist for the 2007 Samsung American Legion Scholarship.

Of all the Kansas entries from the Boys State program, Hansen was chosen as the winner and received a $1,000 scholarship. He will now go on to compete against 99 other hopefuls to be one of 12 national winners to get a $20,000 scholarship.

"I was very excited," Hansen said. "I couldn't believe I had won."

For the application, Hansen had to submit information such as his GPA, class rank, a list of extra-curricular activities and two essays about his goals and plans for the money.

In his essays Hansen wrote that he wasn't sure what he wanted to major in but knew he wanted to somehow combine it with Spanish to help underrepresented people. He also wrote that the scholarship money would help him pay for college by taking the burden off his parents who have taken care of him for so long.

Hansen said he was surprised to win at the state level and would be shocked if he won the national competition, but he quickly added that it would be amazing all the same.

Even if he doesn't win, Hansen said he wouldn't be disappointed because it was already an honor to be representing Kansas Boys State on the national level.

When he participated in Boys State this June, Hansen said he never thought a scholarship would come out of the experience. What made his win so shocking, he said, was how impressive the Kansas Boys State participants were.

Hansen said he looked forward to the possibility of a $20,000 scholarship. He said instead of worrying about how he would pay for books and tuition, he could spend his time enjoying college and meeting new people.

Hansen remained modest about his essays. For now, he will just have to wait until late September, when the results are in, to see if his work excelled at a national level.